Monday, December 13, 2021
The Strange Thing About My Husband and Myself
Yes, we are very strange this way, my husband and I, actually believe the Word of God, The Bible is the Word from Jesus Christ.
John 20:30–31
"30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
John 1:1
"1, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
If the word of God is merely a book of suggestions then we might as well throw the whole thing out. However, if the Word of God is the Word of Jesus Christ then we had better desire to obey what He wrote to us.
Nowhere in the Word of God do we read the words "but only if you like what I wrote, obey them."
When we encounter often, from other "Chrisians" anger toward us because we suggest that we obey the Word of God, this is strong evidence that we are living in the age of apostasy.
I am astonished at so many church goers who are accepting unbiblical attitudes, justifying them many different ways, while hostile to correction at the misuse of scripture.
If the word of God is merely a book of suggestions then we might as well throw the whole thing out. However, if the Word of God is the Word of Jesus Christ then we had better desire to obey what He wrote to us.
Nowhere in the Word of God do we read the words "but only if you like what I wrote, obey them."
When we encounter often, from other "Christians" anger toward us because we suggest that we obey the Word of God, this is strong evidence that we are living in the age of apostasy.
I am astonished at so many churchgoers who are accepting unbiblical attitudes, justifying them in many different ways, while hostile to correction at the misuse of scripture.
No longer enduring sound doctrine these people refuse to hear another side to the question, God's side.
2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.”
We are there, folks, we are in the age of apostasy when people justify every disobedience merely to be able to enjoy their pleasures.
Pray that you will not be influenced by their lax and flippant use of Scripture mixed with worldly ideas.
Ignore the News on all Sides and Read Only the Bible
I know conservatives who say they are Christian who believe the "alternative news sights" even with all its lies, but negate the Bible.
What they say they believe on those sights cannot be vetted by them or anyone close to them and yet they repeat what they hear as though it is absolute fact.
Believers would do better to ignore the news on both sides and stay to the Bible. The Bible is the only truth we know that is absolutely true.
Legalism is Far Different From Obedience to God's Word
When people call you "legalistic" for staying close to what God said in His word they are saying; "I don't want to listen to this I would rather have my feelings and my personal "right in my own eyes."
I meet people frequently who say they are Christians but care very little about obeying God's Word. In fact, I meet more people like this than those who love God's Word willing to give up their own desires to please God.
John 14:14 "14 If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it. 15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
Those who say they are Christians but fight against the principles and teaching of the Bible are very likely pretending unbelievers. God said; "you WILL keep my commandments." To me this suggests that authentically born again believers love God so much that they pour over His Word to suck into their soul every bit of wisdom the Holy Spirit can teach them.
It is not possible to love God "with all your heart, soul and mind" and still remain unconcerned about pleasing Him.
John 14:21
"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him."
John 15:10
"If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love."
1 John 2:3
"By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments."
1 John 5:3
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,"
2 John 1:6
"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love."
John 14:21-24
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him…"
God said all of this and more about the importance of obeying Him that comes out of our deep love for Him. Those who negate His truth from His Word are in effect denying Jesus Christ because He IS the Word.
John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning." (Jesus Christ is the Word)
When someone minimizes or negates any part of God's Word they are denying Jesus Christ.
Matthew 10:33
"But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,"
2 Peter 2:1
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."
There are false prophets and false believers in every gathering these days. Satan has planted people full of their own desires and pleasures to disrupt the truth, even making the lies sound good to be able to enjoy worldliness and self indulgence.
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
So many gatherings remain silent when something is said that negates the word of God. They think they are being kind avoiding hurting feelings, but really they have no love for the brethren because they have no love for God. Their loves is for self alone.
If we love our brethren our greatest concern will be their spiritual condition and their growth in holiness.
Those who shout legalism the loudest are those who love their worldly traditions, elevating "feelings" above truth. This is really self-worship.
John 12:24-26 "…24 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.…"
There is no denial of self when self comes above and before the Word of God.
Truth Matters More Than Our Lives
When truth doesn't matter anymore in the church gatherings we know we have moved into apostasy. When everything is based on feelings more than on the Bible there has been self-righteousness, dismissiveness of God and self-exaltation.
Romans 10:3
"For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ "
When the person who corrects an erring believer the unbiblical thinking is minimized and despised for attempting to bring the group back to Biblical thinking, we know the church has lost its way.
God made it clear that everything we say and do ought to be supported by Scripture. When someone brings a false doctrine or belief we are to correct it to bring the group back to right thinking.
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 sums it up like this: "Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed."
Those who obey will be blessed and those who disobey will be cursed.
A person cannot expect to receive help and blessing from God when they care so little about His truth and commandments.
Those who say it is legalism to assert the principles of God's word do not understand that every word of the Bible is the very essence of Jesus Christ, He is the Word. He never meant for His Word to be treated like suggestions with an option to ignore.
Just recently my heart was grieved when someone I know quoted from a bible version that stated that Christ will bow before us one day. When corrected with scripture this person dismissed the correction as being legalistic, after all feelings mean more than truth to this person and many others.
It is not legalism to speak the truth of God openly to bring someone back to obedience to His word with the heart of God in mind. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not take seriously His teachings and commands.
Why would God bother to give us all His wonderful truths and commands just to have them ignored as insignificant?
Legalism is obeying man's ideas that God never commanded. Obedience is obeying God because we love Him and His word more than anything else in the world.
When someone's feelings take presedence over God's truth then those who do it have moved into the realm of making man the god, reducing Jesus Christ to nothing more than another human being with some good suggestions.
So many "Christians" do not understand that God's word is not a book written by men to be ignored or to cherry pick passages we like making them say what pleases man. God's Word is the very essence of Jesus Christ Himself, it is His heart and instruction to man for man's own good.
Worship is not merely saying nice things about God, it is valuing above all else His character, His desires, He is God, we ought to treat His Word with great care and diligence out of love for Him.
How can we think so little of Christ after all He did for us? How can we dismiss His words as though they are worthy of dismissal equal to human feelings.
Luke 10:27-28 "27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”…"
It is not possible to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and still minimize the Bible!!!!
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